Review: CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

After hearing all the rave reviews about this foundation, I had to see what the hype was all about. I purchased mine at Rite Aid for $12.79 but I know the price ranges from about $10-$13 depending on where you purchase it. I purchased 842-Medium Beige and for reference I am an NC 35 at MAC. I have combo to oily skin and a lot of acne scarring/discoloration, so a medium to full coverage foundation is what I look for. I currently use Revlon ColorStay and am very happy with the performance of that foundation and haven't felt the need to try any other drugstore foundations. So what made me bite the bullet and give this a try? I heard a few people say this foundation has replaced their Revlon Colorstay! Say what?! 10 mins later I'm in my car on a mission to get this in my possession.

So what did I think?

NYX Round Lipstick

I noticed I had acquired quite the collection of NYX round lipsticks, so I thought I'd share some swatches and a quick review for those out there looking to try these or add to their collection. I only own 21 shades out of the line and I say only because there's 124 to choose from! If there was an award for creating the most variations of a color...NYX would win, hands down.

These lipsticks are super affordable at $4 each on the NYX Cosmetics site, and you can find them even cheaper on sites like cherryculture.com and Ulta. They claim to be a velvet texture lipstick that resists smudging...the velvet texture maybe but resists smudging? NO. I find these lipsticks to be a very creamy formula which is nice because they are moisturizing to the lips. However, the creamy formula also contributes to the product sliding a bit so I'm not sure what they mean by resists smudging. Last time I accidentally swiped my hand over my lips, I was rocking lipstick on my face...not cool. Although I don't agree with the smudge proof claim, these are great lipsticks (Just don't swipe your hand over your lips and face). They are creamy, not heavy or thick on the lips, color range is great, super pigmented, no noticeable scent, and very affordable. I also love the packaging because the actual color of the lipstick is visible at the bottom of the tube. This is great not only when you are buying these in person but also when I'm storing them upside down. I can easily see what is what which is so convenient. The wear time for me is about 3 hours before I need to re-apply.
I definitely recommend these for any lip junkie that is looking for some extra colors to add to their collection!

*Cherry Culture is currently having their 20% off sale again so these lipsticks come to $2.40!!! Sale ends March 10th, code: MMM2013

Now on to what's most important, THE SWATCHES!

Wet n Wild: Mega Last Lipstick

For me, Wet n Wild had always been the brand that was crappy in quality but so cheap I couldn't be that disappointed..that is until a few years back. Talk about stepping up your game Wet n Wild! To this day, I still think Wet n Wild has some of the best quality eyeshadows and blushes at the drugstore and at a ridiculously affordable price!

I recently became reunited with my Wet n Wild stash of lip products and forgot how much I enjoy using them! I'd have to say that any cons to the product are pretty much justified by the price...$1.99. Yes, $1.99....AND most of the time Wet n Wild is BOGO 50% off or BOGO free. You could pretty much find change on the ground and get yourself some of these lippies...crazy.

So what's the good vs the bad?

Cheap Thrills: Rite Aid Deals!

Rite Aid has some awesome deals on beauty items right now, I just had to share! I'm sure it depends on your area, but I find Rite Aid in general is better priced than CVS and Walgreens on identical items to begin with. On top of that, if you visit their video values site: Rite Aid Video Values (totally free btw), you can score some additional coupons on items you were already going to purchase. I always check this site before going to Rite Aid and this time there were some great coupons! Basically when you visit the site, you can browse what items are currently being offered a coupon. You select which one you want, watch a short video (most are 30 sec. to a min.), enter a captcha code when the video is over, and boom...savings! You do have to print the coupons but they will all print on the same page so you aren't wasting paper. Another thing, and this goes for all drugstores, sign up for their free member cards. It's FREE and it gives you their weekly discounts plus emailed coupons.

Ok, now on to the awesome finds for this week! 

February 2013 Favorites

It's that time again: Monthly Favorites! For the month of February I loved so many things it was hard to choose. A few of the items I chose I have been using for awhile now, but I noticed that I either repurchased them again this month or continued to reach for it which means they work and are worth my money!

• Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Cleansing Pads
• Splendid Soft Skin Body Butter in Ruby Grapefruit
• Josie Maran Aragan Oil
• Be a Bombshell Eyeliner in Onyx
• Lorac Eye Shadow in Serenity
• CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 325-Spellbound
• Sephora MicroSmooth Foundation Face Powder

NYX Slim Lip Pencil

Whoa! It's been a hot minute since my last post so I decided to do another swatch post to get my blog ball rolling again. I noticed that my post on the NYX Mega Shine lip gloss has probably received the most hits thus far so I thought I'd do a post on their lip pencils.

NYX lip pencils are some of my favorites because they are super affordable and they offer a wide range of colors (60!). They aren't the creamiest formula nor do they tug on the lips so they live somewhere in that middle area. They have great pigmentation and can definitely be worn alone as an all over lip color which is how I like to use them. As far as lasting power, I can get a few hours of wear before I have to reapply again.

They retail for $3.50 which is a freaking steal and you can find them even cheaper from cherryculture.com which is where I purchase them. I mentioned this in the lip gloss post here: NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss.

Nude Pink and Natural are hands down my most used lip liners in general...they go with everything and are a must have! I also highly recommend Bloom if you like to rock hot pink/magenta lips (umm, who doesn't?!) Ok, enough with the words, here are the swatches of the pencils I own (pics taken in natural sunlight):

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Happy Single's Awareness Day Valentine's Day!!!

Since today is about love, I thought I'd share the beauty products I absolutely LOVE. I'm talking holy grail, heaven sent, must have, would buy over and over again status. Enjoy!

LORAC PRO Palette $42.00

If I could only have one eye shadow palette, this is it. I can honestly say this has every shade I could need for a day or night time look. The variety of matte and shimmer shades are great and the quality of the shadows are amazing. Super pigmented, blends easily, and a must have in my opinion!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation $9.99

I have tried more foundations than I would like to admit but this foundation takes the cake for performance and price! I have combo, acne prone skin, and for color reference I'm about an NC35 at MAC. I use the shade 330-Natural Tan and I find that this has great coverage (medium but easily buildable to full coverage), lasts all day, works well with my yellow undertone skin, and does not feel heavy on the face. I find that I reach for this over any other foundation including my high end foundations. My only gripe is the packaging...no pump. Why Revlon? Why?!

e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush $3.00

This brush is amazing and for the price, I feel like e.l.f. is getting ripped off. I think everyone and their Mom has tried this brush, and for good reason. The bristles are soooo soft and the flat head shape is great for everything. I mainly use this for powder and contouring and it's perfect. I own like 7 of these, no joke. 

MAC Powder Blush in Blunt $21.00

This matte brown blush has been the perfect contour powder for my face. I've used this for almost 10 years (omg, just typing that made me feel so old). I've used this on fair skintones as well and it looks great. This is a very dark powder so blending is a must, but it really is one of the best contouring powders!

MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town $15.00

This lipstick is described as a bright blue fuchsia and it is exactly that. When I want to rock a bright lip, this is my go to color. I love that it's bright but not neon bright so it's wearable for most skintones. The cool tone of the lipstick is great in helping your teeth look whiter and it has a nice creme consistency. It lasts for hours on me and I usually wear it alone, no liner, no gloss. 

Birchbox Exclusive: Color Club in Insta-This $8.00

I am obsessed with this color! It's a bright cobalt blue that is opaque in one coat but I always do 2 coats by habit. I have nothing but good things to say about this polish but I'll just let the photo do the talking.

Julep Nail Vernis in Vivien $14.00

I love my glitter polishes and when I find a glitter polish that is opaque and can be worn alone, it tugs at my heart strings. I love the mix of large glitter and gold shimmer in this polish. In 2 coats this polish is opaque and the tone of the gold is so nice...it's like platinum gold. Ahhh, love!

Clark's Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream $115.00

I know, I know...$115 for moisturizer?! I've never used La Mer, but I can only imagine my love for this is equivalent to those that pay for La Mer all the time. This stuff is amazing. It makes your skin soooo soft and the glycolic acid gently exfoliates your skin at the same time! I don't know how this stuff works but my skin is soft, break outs seems to have gone away, and acne scarring has lightened...totally worth it to me!

Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Shine Eau De Toilette $30.00-$50.00

This is definitely top 3 for me for favorite perfumes. I purchased this back when it first came out in 2007 and I have gone through 5 bottles at least since then. It's a light, fruity/floral scent that's perfect for spring and summer. I'm not good at describing scents but let's just say I always get compliments when I wear this and I wear this year round. And did you notice the bottle?! Loves it!